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STILLWATER — Watching television with his wife, Chris Stanley kept sneaking a look at his phone to keep track of Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty’s yardage total in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
Larry Reece paced his living room as he watched the game unfold.
And many other Oklahoma State football fans were keeping an eye, directly or indirectly, on what was happening Tuesday night in Phoenix.
Barry Sanders single-season rushing record of 2,628 yards, set in his magical 1988 season at Oklahoma State, was in peril as Jeanty inched closer and closer to the mark.
But as Penn State took firm control of the game, Boise State was forced to throw the ball more, and Jeanty’s season ended with 2,601 yards — a remarkable year, but still not one that truly compares to what Sanders did.
More: Barry Sanders wishes Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty good luck on breaking rushing record
“I think Ashton Jeanty is a great running back,” said Reece, OSU’s senior associate athletic director for development, as well as the public address announcer for many sporting events. “Barry’s record is something we take a lot of pride in. We all believe that Barry Sanders is the greatest running back to ever do it. You’re never gonna convince me otherwise.
“It’s still just as important to our people that Barry stay on top. We’re an OSU family, and we’re always gonna fight for our family members.”
And now that Boise State’s season is over with a 12-2 record, Oklahoma State folks can once again celebrate Sanders’ supremacy.
“To Barry, it probably doesn’t mean a whole lot, just knowing how humble he is,” said Stanley, one of the blockers from the 1988 Cowboys affectionately known as the War Pigs. “To me, it means a lot, just to know I was part of it.
“That’s the closest anybody has ever really challenged…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/barry-sanders-record-withstood-ashton-110639388.html
Author : The Oklahoman
Publish date : 2025-01-06 11:06:00
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